1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hangers, and more particularly to a hanger comprising a hook for securing the hanger to an environmental object and a tongue for engaging a fabric. The hanger is preferably suspended from the belt of a user and is employed to releasably secure a towel to the belt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Towels and other absorbent materials are used by people to wipe foreign materials, such as dirt and oil, from their hands and from objects they are using. Towels are also used by people to clean and polish items. During outdoor activities, such as camping and fishing, towels and other absorbent fabrics are used by people to keep hands and equipment clean and dry.
If a towel is laid down by the user, it may become soiled or misplaced. Also, when laid down, the towel may be out of convenient reach of the user. To forestall these problems, people have long attempted to entrap towels in their belts. However, the towel may unexpectedly escape. Towels may be placed within ancillary equipment such as golf bags and tackle boxes. However, the towel may again not be readily available when desired.
The prior art has attempted to address this problem by proposing devices for engaging towels and fabrics. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,692,269, issued to Paul N. Hales on Sep. 19, 1972, and 4,346,825, issued to Jean-Paul Leger on Aug. 31, 1982, are exemplary. Each holder has a hook disposed at the top of the respective device and a tab disposed within an opening for securing a fabric object. The present invention includes such features, but differs in that the hook is nearly closed, the tab cooperates closely with its opening, and in that the edges of the holder are beveled or rounded.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,790,045, issued to Yehoshua Rigel et al. on Feb. 5, 1974, 4,943,026, issued to Gerhard Fildan on Jul. 24, 1990, 5,429,284, issued to Chester Kolton et al. on Jul. 4, 1995, and 5,505,351, issued to John Najarian on Apr. 9, 1996, further illustrate garment and package holders. Although the subject inventions include a hook for hanging and a tab for engaging an article to be supported, they differ in configuration from the present invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.